West Windsor restaurant rammed by SUV during break-in

Masa Sushi in the Nassau Park Shopping Center was the victim of a break-in on March 14 and an attempted break-in on March 22. Masa Sushi in the Nassau Park Shopping Center was the victim of a break-in on March 14 and an attempted break-in on March 22. Arrested in association with the incidents were brothers from Hamilton Township—Jason T. Boehm, 36, and Ryan M. Boehm, 34, police said.

According to Det. William Jones, Ryan, a former employee of the restaurant, Jason, allegedly smashed through the glass front door of the restaurant using a hammer on March 14. Once inside, they stole money from a cash register and a private office.

In the second burglary on March 22, Ryan and Jason Boehm once again attempted to smash the glass front door of the restaurant using a hammer—this time unsuccessfully. After several unsuccessful attempts, Ryan got into a black Dodge Caliber and allegedly rammed the store front with his vehicle to gain entry. Once inside, they forced entry into the private office and stole items from inside, police said.

The Boehms were eventually arrested as the result of an investigation by Det. Jones and released pending proceedings in Mercer County Superior Court.

Plainsboro

Fatal auto crash

A Plainsboro woman was killed in an accident in South Brunswick on April 30.

Police said that Ming Xiong, 60, of Plainsboro, was the driver of a 2007 Toyota Corolla that was stopped at a red light on Route 32 west at the intersection of Route 535. She was rear-ended by a 2002 Mini Cooper driven by a 41-year-old male from South River.

Xiong was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of injuries sustained in the crash, police said. Three additional vehicles were also involved in the accident.

The South Brunswick Police Traffic Safety Bureau is leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Officer William Merkler at (732) 329-4000, ext. 7432.

Cell phone theft

An employee of Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center was the victim of a theft of a cell phone on April 22 from the Recreation Department of the Merwick Care and Rehabilitation Center. Police said that between 6:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., someone stole a black LG Flip valued at $50.

Drunk driving arrests

Arnaldo A. Arias, 39, of Columbia, Pennsylvania, was arrested April 21 on a drunk driving charge. Police said that Arias, who was driving a BMW IS250, was stopped on Route 1 north near Independence Way for erratic driving and was found to be intoxicated. He was also charged with reckless driving, careless driving, failure to maintain a lane, speeding, failure to signal a turn, failure to possess registration and not wearing a seat belt.

Pramod K. Ambaripeta, 26, of Ravens Crest Drive, was arrested April 29 on a drunk driving charge. Police said Ambaripeta, who was driving a red Toyota Sienna, was stopped on Scotts Corner Road for a broken headlight and was found to be under the influence of alcohol. He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for maintenance of lamps, reckless driving, careless driving, possessing an open alcohol container in a vehicle and unclear license plates.

Florence Roth, 71, of Farmingdale, was arrested on a drunk driving charge on April 27. Police said that Roth, who was driving a black Mazda SUV, was stopped on Dey Road at 10:17 p.m. for failure to maintain a lane and was found to be intoxicated. She was also issued summonses for failure to maintain a lane, reckless driving and careless driving.

Drug possession arrest

Kenneth Ridley Jr., 28, of Hillside, was arrested April 20 on a drug possession charge. Police said Ridles was stopped at 11:35 p.m. during a DWI checkpoint on Route 1 for an expired inspection sticker. Investigation revealed that he was in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, police said. He was issued violations for maintenance of lamps, failure to inspect, reckless driving, careless driving and unclear license plates.

West Windsor

Apartment fire

A fire in the Mews apartment complex in the Estates at Princeton Junction left two units uninhabitable on May 3.

West Windsor Police Lt. Mark Lee said that officers were detailed to the 14000 Building of Goodrow Court at about 11:45 p.m. to follow up on an activated fire alarm.

While en route, dispatch advised the officers that residents were reporting fire and smoke coming from the building. The officers arrived to find that flames were visible from the porch area of a third floor apartment. Lt. Lee said that some residents had already left the building, and the officers worked to evacuate the remainder of the building.

Officers Carlos Abade and Peter Buchanan went to the apartment of the suspected fire source and found that the residents of the unit, including a 5-day-old infant, were still inside and unaware of the situation. They were evacuated from the building and escorted to Buchanan’s patrol vehicle, where they sat with their infant child.

The fire was contained to the third story balcony/roof and into the master bedroom of the originating apartment, said Lt. Lee. Responding to the scene were West Windsor Fire and Emergency Services, West Windsor Volunteer Fire Co. #1 Station 43, Princeton Junction Volunteer Fire Co. Station 44, Plainsboro Fire Co. Station 49, and East Windsor Fire Co. Station 42. PSE&G disconnected the gas to the building.

Lt. Lee said that no injuries were reported as a result of the blaze, and residents of the apartment where the fire originated declined any medical treatment. Officer Buchanan was able to obtain some items from the apartment, including baby formula.

At 1:08 a.m., residents were allowed back into their apartments, except for the unit where the fire originated and another that sustained water damage. Both of the affected families were able to obtain other living arrangements for the time being.

West Windsor Police and Emergency Services are investigating the cause of the fire, although it is not believed to be of criminal origin.

Auto accident

A motorist on Route 1 in West Windsor was injured after several bags of concrete landed on her car from the other side of the highway on May 1.

Lt. Mark Lee said that Cruz Lazo-Jimenez, 37, of North Brunswick, was driving south on Route 1 in a 2004 Ford F Series truck that was pulling a Sure-Trac trailer loaded with about 30 50-pound bags of QuikCrete cement.

The trailer began to sway from the weight, and Lazo-Jimenez lost control, which caused the trailer to crash into the center median at about 9 a.m. This caused 15 bags of concrete to fly off the trailer and over the median onto Route 1 north. Several of the bags collided with a car driven by a 22-year-old woman from Trenton, causing the windshield to break and heavy damage to the roof.

The woman sustained lacerations to her arms and was transported to Penn Medicine at Princeton Health for treatment of their injuries, which were not life threatening, by West Windsor Fire and Emergency Services.

The accident caused the closure of two lanes on Route 1 north for about 45 minutes until the mess was cleaned up. Lazo-Jimenez was issues summonses for an unsafe load and careless driving, police said.

Child neglect

A 33-year-old West Windsor woman was arrested for leaving her child alone in her car while she went shopping at stores in ten Nassau Park Shopping Center. Police did not identify the woman.

Officer Brian Jany was dispatched to investigate a report of a child left unattended in a car parked in the lot outside Party City. Investigation revealed that the the woman left her 2-year-old child asleep in her running car while she went shopping in Party City and Plato’s Closet. Officer Jany charged her with cruelty and neglect of a child when she returned to her vehicle.

Shoplifting arrest

Steven T. Wilson, 28, of Lawrence Township, was arrested March 19 on a shoplifting charge at Wegmans. Police said that officers were dispatched to the store to investigate a report of a shoplifting in progress and arrived to find that Wilson had allegedly tried to steal alcoholic beverages and food, which he had concealed in a shopping cart. Wilson had left the store after being confronted by an employee but was tracked down a short time later by police at a bus stop in the shopping center and arrested.

Drug arrest

Ervin B. Brown, 31, of Trenton, was arrested March 28 on drug possession charges. Officer Alfonso Robles said he stopped Brown, who was driving a red 2007 Jeep, at 11:40 a.m. on Route 1 at Harrison Street for tinted windows and erratic driving. During the stop, Brown was found to be in possession of prescription narcotic pills, under 50 grams of marijuana, a partially burnt marijuana cigarette and rolling papers. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Drunk driving arrests

Jiffter C. Martinez, 27, of East Windsor, was arrested March 16 on a drunk driving charge. Officer Edward McQuade said he stopped Martinez, who was driving a 2003 Toyota, on Old Trenton Road near Windsor Road for speeding and erratic driving. Officer McQuade said he found Martinez to be intoxicated and also issues him a summons for uninsured driving.

German E. Chacaj-Ramirez, 32, of Germantown, was arrested March 19 on a drunk driving charge. Officer Frank Zicha said he stopped a 1999 Toyota driven by Chacaj-Ramirez on Route 1 at Quakerbridge Road for speeding and erratic driving at 8:04 p.m. The officer said he found Chacaj-Ramirez to be intoxicated and also charged him with having open containers of alcoholic beverages in his vehicle.

Rajneesh S. Jetty, 43, of Robbinsville, was arrested March 24 on a drunk driving charge. Officer Nathan Cuomo said he stopped Jetty, who was driving a gray Toyota minivan, at 4:01 p.m. on Old Trenton Road at Edinburg Road for erratic driving. Officer Cuomo said that he found Jetty to be intoxicated.

Kris L. Pringle, 41, of Somerset, was arrested March 24 at 8:40 p.m. on a drunk driving charge. Officer Nicholas Barber said he stopped Pringle on Route 1 at Alexander Road for erratic driving and using his cell phone while driving and found him to be intoxicated.

Community News is committed to bringing readers the latest news from across Mercer County and Central Jersey. An accumulation of more than eight print publications, Community News strives to deliver hyperlocal news directly to residents, community members and businesses.

Community News Service publications are the sources our readers turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neck of the woods. Serving greater Mercer County, we're connecting our readers and building our community.